A Tougher, Greener Battery Could Power Phones in Africa

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One of the problems facing developing countries is that people in
rural communities tend to walk around with dead cell phones. That
is because mobile devices are cheaper than ever, but power plants
are still expensive. But as a work-around in off-the-grid
communities, phone owners have learned to run charge cords off of
used car batteries.

Now, Fenix International, a San Francisco-based design firm, may
have a better solution for these communities: a new
ruggedized battery and generator system called ReadySet. The
device, its designers believe, could put more electricity in
off-the-grid homes, create jobs, reduce indoor air pollution by
replacing kerosene lanterns with LEDs, and eliminate car battery
acid leaks. Plus, the telecom industry is hooked on it. Network
carriers can make 10 to 14 percent more money from users who can
keep their phones charged, and an estimated 500 million cell
phone users worldwide live off the grid, according to a report
from the mobile communications group GSMA.

“Building upon the existing culture was the inspiration for this
solution,” said Michael Lin, founder of Fenix. “People in
developing communities have a variety of needs, of course, but
access to electricity is exciting in that it empowers people to
improve their lives in a number of areas.”

Ready, set…

ReadySet is a plastic-encased brick optimized for charging phones
and powering electronics.
It has USB and cigar-lighter ports to serve the chargers most
commonly found in East Africa, and it can recharge in a standard
electrical outlet, a solar panel or on a mount for a stationary
bicycle called a “Velo.”

The device needs no assembly. Under its cute case, ReadySet is a
lead-acid battery, so it shares the same guts that a car battery
has. The difference is that because it is programmed to shut off
before it is fully drained, this device retains its ability to
charge for longer than a car battery does. It is also acid
leak-resistant, unlike a car battery. Fenix's lab testers dropped
the battery onto concrete from three feet above, sprayed it with
salt water, blasted it UV rays, ran it through thousands of
cycles — and it still stayed intact and leak free.

Fenix is pilot-testing ReadySet in ten African markets. Retail
sales should begin by June, and it may make its way to the
developed world by the end of the year. The price for the kit
should start at US $150, and the cost could fall if orders pick
up.

That price, however, could be a sticking point for poor rural
consumers, many of whom earn $2 to $4 per day. But in Lin's view,
ReadySet could pay for itself by enabling business. In pilot
tests, small business owners supplement their income by selling
charges for $0.25 each. That is nothing new—people have paid for
phone charges from car batteries for several years.

“We are working to distribute ReadySet with several large mobile
phone network operators that have in excess of 100 million
subscribers,” Lin said.